MVA fields Sena's Rajan Salvi against BJP's Rahul Narwekar for Sunday's election for Maharashtra speaker

While Salvi is the MLA from Ratnagiri's Rajapur seat, Narvekar represents the Colaba Assembly constituency in Mumbai.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra – consisting of the Shiv Senam NCP and Congress – has fielded Shiv Sena's Rajan Salvi against BJP's Rahul Narwekar for the elections to the post of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker slated to be held on Sunday.

Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi. (Pratik Chorge/HT PHOTO)

Salvi filed his nomination on Saturday in the presence of prominent leaders including Jayant Patil, Dhananjay Munde (NCP), Ashok Chavan (Congress), and Sunil Prabhu (Shiv Sena). A day ago, first-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar had filed his nomination for the post.

While Salvi is the MLA from Ratnagiri's Rajapur seat, Narvekar represents the Colaba Assembly constituency in Mumbai.

The election to the post of assembly speaker has been necessitated following the resignation of Congress's Nana Patole last year to become the party's state unit president.

A special two-day Assembly session has been convened on July 3 and 4.

The newly sworn-in government of Eknath Shinde has been asked to prove its majority after the previous government of MVA led by Uddhav Thackeray collapsed following over a week-long power tussle and infighting within the Sena.

While the election for the speaker's post will take place on Sunday, the floor test has been called for Monday.

(With PTI inputs)